I often browse the web by grabbing text and dragging it into my Google Toolbar, which will open a new search page. It will open up a website for me, in the event that I drag a domain name into the search window.

I don’t expect I’m alone in exhibiting this kind of search behaviour, but there is a problem. Many firms, including some big brands, do not cater for a www-less version of their domain name.

Myspace could be worth $15bn within three years, according to one Wall Street analyst.

In a research note quoted by Reuters, RBC Capital analyst Jordan Rohan said he had come out of a meeting with Fox Interactive enthused about the site’s experienced management, "massive" global appeal and potential to become "an intellectual property distribution powerhouse".

"In light of the current confusion and inconsistency in online gaming legislation worldwide, the owners of The Ritz Club London Online have, regretfully, decided to close the site to new customers with immediate effect," the firm said in a statement on the site.